Lichen on glassfibre

Searching for ‘lichen on glassfibre’ on the internet brings up a large number of sites suggesting methods for the removal of lichens.   I want the opposite.   Over the twenty or so years since our house was built an increasing number of lichens have attached themselves to a lead-effect glassfibre canopy. 

Lichen on glassfibre lead-effect roof canopy

I want those same lichens to attach themselves to glassfibre rocks.   It’s said that a rolling stone gathers no moss.   It can also be said that a roving stone gathers no lichen (I can only roll a small number of the artificial rocks due to their shape).  

The artificial rocks used for temporary hire work are constantly being handled and repositioned and as such the same side of the rock isn’t always in the same position.   Lichens need light and moisture and on a roving rock they aren’t going to get it all the time.   I could always leave some of the artificial rocks in the same position for ten or so years and see what happens.   That could be limiting for business, however.

In my earlier post about the Australian landscape at the British Museum, Alan Bishop has painted lichen on to his rocks and that may be the way for me to go.   The painted-on lichen looks real from a distance but as my rocks are seen close up I need to make sure that any fake lichen looks very natural.   Dave The Dead has succeeded in doing that here: Grim Visions and a similar technique has also been used in Hobbiton, the Hobbit film set in New Zealand.  I may try Dave’s method when I have some spare time.

Artificial rocks, moss and cobbles

Moss is far easier to obtain in its artificial form.   It can be purchased in sheets for draping over surfaces or attached to artificial stones.   You can see some moss-covered stones here:  www.artificialrocks.co.uk

Read more about lichens here: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/lichens/